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Thursday, 4 July 2013

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Deka Yellow

"Four! Fighting malicious intergalactic evil!"

It's been quite a few months since the release of Deka Green back in December, but at the end of May Tamashii Nations pulled through and finally completed the core Dekaranger team in S.H. Figuarts form. Deka Yellow, aka Jasmine (or Marika Reimon if you prefer her almost never mentioned real name), was released alongside Deka Pink as Tamashii Web Exclusives, so if you're planning to pick her up be aware she'll fetch you more than the usual Figuart would.

I've described the layout of the Dekaranger-style packaging three times already on previous reviews, but I have to say there's something about it in yellow that really makes it stand out above the previous red, blue and green versions. The "4" admittedly does look a little on the squished side, but the yellow writing stands out brilliantly on the window of the box. The back sports the usual action pictures and list of contents, but interestingly doesn't have everything included in the box on show. Open it up and you'll see a few more bonus accessories sitting in the single plastic tray.

If you own or have handled the male Dekarangers before, the first thing you're going to notice is the considerably smaller build the Deka girls have. Not only is this reasonably accurate to how Deka Yellow appeared on the show itself, but helps convey the feminine nature of the character. After all, the Deka girls don't have skirts like most other female Sentai members, so the hints of femininity have to be hinted elsewhere. Not only are the little sculpting details are as sharp as they were on the previous TWE releases (poor old mass release Red), but the joints and articulation also feel so much tighter. You also won't have to worry about any of the holsters falling off, but they're as snug as they possibly could be.

So onto Jasmine's impressive array of accessories! Included with this release are a total of 12 different hands, SP License, D-Shot, D-Knuckle, D-Stick (Folded and extended), SP Shooter and a pair of D-Wappers. While the inclusion of the D-Wappers is an excellent touch, the SP Shooter is a very surprising addition given they were primarily used when the team were untransformed. Pretty good of Bandai to include something this figure (as it looks) rarely used. The hands are the usual array of things you'd expect, but the unique addition is one holding bombs between the fingertips. It looks great and perfect for any action poses you may have in mind.

That being said, there are two things not included with this release that I probably should mention. The first is the absence of an SP license holding hand, something that came with all three male Dekarangers. It's not a massive deal breaker as the male hands can quite easily be put on her if you want that pose so badly, but unfortunately it means if you had plans to display all five with licenses outstretched it's not going to happen.

Secondly there's Murphy, the robot dog who was seen in many early promotional pics with the girls. Many assumed this meant he'd be released between the two, but the Tamashii order page no reference to it and so these rumours were obviously false. I don't consider it a deal breaker by any stretch (after all, if he's been made there's always a chance he could come with someone else one day), but like I say it's probably worth mentioning.

However not all of Deka Yellow's accessories are for Deka Yellow! Much like how Gokai Pink came with a second wired sword for Gokai Yellow, Deka Yellow comes packaged with an alternate right hand for Deka Blue. This hand is the "2" gesture he makes during the roll call sequence in the show, which was strangely omitted from his release.

*License hand NOT included*

While Deka Yellow might not be your first choice if it came to buying a single Dekaranger (her status as a TWE suggests she's one for team completists, or Jasmine/Z/Sentai girls fans) but she's definitely worth considering. Although the build is much smaller than the male Dekarangers, she's of far better quality and pretty much a flawless release (no hindering skirt either!). The lack of a license holding hand is a little disappointing, but the trade off is a very impressive collection of accessories which are unique to both her and Deka Pink. By far the best Dekaranger figure so far, and worth picking up before those aftermarket prices go up.